Top 12 Spring Superfoods for Health

Spring is here, which means the temperatures are getting warmer, you will spend more time outdoors, and you will likely revisit the healthy resolutions you made at the beginning of the year. For many people, Spring feels like a fresh start, similar to the beginning of the year. You might eat better, become more active, and make new goals for the year. Spring superfoods for health are one great way to do to improve your life and well-being.

What are Super Foods?

Superfoods are types of foods are higher in nutrients than the average type of food. Most superfoods lists include a combination of fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds, even grains and meat. Each of the superfoods for health will have lots of vitamins and minerals you need to have a healthy, balanced diet.

The following super foods are ones that are recommended in the springtime, not only because they are available this time of year, but it is easy to add them to foods you tend to enjoy when the weather is warmer.

Top 12 Spring Superfoods for Health

Lettuce

Naturally, vegetables are going to be high on the list of superfoods for health. There are a lot of superfood vegetables based on the nutrients they contain per serving, and your leafy greens are always going to top nearly any superfoods list. We will discuss specific types of leafy greens later, but for now, just try to get in more lettuce.

Choose any type of lettuce you like, as most of them have a good amount of vitamins and minerals, are easy to get, inexpensive, and simple to add to meals. It is better to go with darker leafy greens like spinach and kale, but if you want some romaine, go for it!

Tip for Using Lettuce: If you want to add more lettuce to your diet, try to fit it in meals you already enjoy. Have a side salad with your spaghetti dinner, or sneak in some lettuce with your soup.

Walnuts

Nuts and seeds are also very good for you, and are frequently at the top of healthy food lists and superfood lists. You will be able to find them year-round, but during the spring you often enjoy salads and lighter meals, which is when walnuts really make the meals extra special.

Walnuts contain many important nutrients your body wants and needs, especially providing fiber, protein, and amino acids. These amino acids can actually boost your mood, so if you are looking to de-stress and just be happier in general this Spring, add some walnuts to your diet.

Top Food with Walnuts: The great thing about walnuts is that they are simple to add to meals and snacks.

Here are some ways to have more walnuts:

• Top your salad with walnuts
• Crush them and coat salmon or chicken
• Have walnuts with cheese or fruit as a snack
• Give your oatmeal or cereal an extra crunch

Salmon

Moving on from fruits and vegetables is salmon. If you have ever read about foods that are good for you, then this should come as no surprise. Salmon is one of the healthiest types of fish you can eat, being rich in omega-3 fatty acids, providing excellent protein and other nutrients to boot.

Salmon can help lower your cholesterol, improve your skin, keep you full between meals, and even help reduce your risk for a heart attack or stroke. It is also great for reducing inflammation in your body.

Unique Benefit of Salmon

Another great reason to choose salmon? It is easy to cook! In just a few minutes, you can grill it, cook it on the stove, or put it in the oven. It goes with just about any vegetable you can think of.

Asparagus

Back to the vegetables, and it is time to talk about asparagus. While this vegetable has a lot of important nutrients, which is what makes one of the best super foods for the spring, it is the folate that puts it at the top of the list. Folate is a type of B vitamin that is wonderful for your brain health. It can affect your energy level, help improve your mood, and get you out of a mental or emotional funk.

If you want to try asparagus, aim for about a cup of it per serving. It is super low in fat and calories, so no need to worry about that. It will fill you up, which is perfect if you’re on a diet.

A cup of asparagus contains about 268 micrograms of folate.

Artichokes

Another vegetable that is not only low in fat and really good for you, but is also a superfood, is artichoke. This is perfect to have during the spring, as this is when many places have it fresh in the produce section. It is always good to get food in season to help save money and have the best flavor with your produce.

This fun little green vegetable is packed full of vitamins and minerals, which is why it is considered is on many superfood lists. It has a lot of magnesium, vitamin C, and potassium. It doesn’t have any fat and is extremely low in calories. It is also loaded in antioxidants.

Spinach

As we mentioned in the first section, lettuce and all leafy greens are important foods on most superfood lists to have year-round, but spinach is so healthy and good for you, it deserves its own honorable mention.

Spinach is one of the most nutrient-dense leafy greens you can eat. It is loaded with vitamins and minerals, particularly folate (as we mentioned is a B vitamin) and vitamin C. If you don’t get much vitamin C because you don’t like citrus fruits, spinach is an excellent alternative.

Spinach also contains other nutrients your body needs, including betaine, lutein, and phytochemicals. It is one of the best superfoods you can eat in the spring.

This happens to be the perfect time of year to eat more spinach.

Here are some ways to add more of it to your diet:

• Make a fruit smoothie and add spinach to it.
• Have a large spinach salad for lunch or dinner.
• Put your protein, like fish or chicken, on a bed of sautéed spinach.

Legumes

If you want a little more protein in your diet, legumes are a fantastic source. These are also on the list of the best super foods for health. Legumes have fiber, protein, and other nutrients that are going to improve your digestion and help you lose weight.

Benefits of Eating More Legumes

• You can have them on a vegetarian or vegan diet.
• They are easy to add to soup, chili, and other hot foods.
• You can eat them on cold or hot salads.
• They provide a high amount of fiber for better digestion.

Radishes

If you want vegetables that are a little different, you can try radishes. Radishes are a really fun vegetable that not many people think to try.

These are absolutely amazing for your digestive system, offering vitamin C, calcium, protein, and fiber for you. If you have digestive distress, try switching out your potatoes and complex or starchy carbs with radishes, and you will enjoy the difference.

Raw or Cooked?

The good news is that unlike other vegetables, you can enjoy radishes raw. Slicing them super thin makes it easy to top salads or even soup with the radishes. Of course, you can also cook them up like “fried” and enjoy them many other ways as well.

Strawberries

As far as fruits go, strawberries are among the best fruits to consume. They have a lot of antioxidants, similar to other berries, and are loaded with vitamin C as well. These nutrients together are wonderful for your skin, helping to protect it from environmental factors, reducing the signs of aging, and improving your complexion naturally.

Low-Carb Bonus: If you are on a low-carb diet, such as Atkins or Keto, then you can still have strawberries! They are one of the only fruits you can have that is low in sugar and carbs, so here is another great bonus for these delicious berries.

Blueberries

There is another berry that provides many of the same nutrients, which are blueberries. These are even higher than strawberries and most other superfoods with antioxidants. Blueberries are delicious, low in fat, and easy to find in the spring and summer months, which makes them one of the most ideal spring superfoods.

With blueberries, you are not only getting antioxidants, but vitamin C and potassium. This superfood can help reduce your risk of cancer, is good for heart health, and provides nutrients important for general health and wellness.

Try these different ways to enjoy blueberries and their nutrients:

• Make a smoothie with blueberries, other fruits, and spinach.
• Make infused water with blueberries and mint.
• Try blueberries on your spring or summer salads.
• Enjoy blueberries on oatmeal, cereal, or frozen yogurt.

Arugula

Are you looking for something new to try? If so, why not arugula. This is a superfood that is available during the spring season and will add important vitamins and minerals to your meals. Not only is it loaded with nutrients like magnesium, but it also has a peppery taste that can really spice up your foods.

You can make a mixed green salad with arugula and spinach, or have a pesto that uses arugula with herbs you have in your own spring garden. Arugla is one of the healthiest choices that should be on your spring superfoods list.

Oats

The last of the spring superfoods on the list is oats. While a lot of fresh produce is great to have in your diet, sometimes you just want something warm and hearty. A bowl of oatmeal is nutritious and often considered a comfort food, so it is good during the spring and year-round. In the spring, it tastes amazing with fresh fruits on top.

Oats are good for your brain thanks to the nutrients that help produce serotonin. It is also high in soluble fibers like beta-glucan, which is also a potent natural immune booster.

The spring season is the perfect time to switch things up in your diet, ensure you are getting adequate nutrition, and try some of these superfoods for health.

What is Aging?

Some scientists and physicians suggest that aging is a ‘disease’. This is not a fair description. Aging is not a disease but part of the process of life itself!

You cannot reverse aging but you can help slow it down to an optimal level which nature intended. So, how long should we live for? This is a subject of much debate and disagreement.

Some scientists claim extraordinary times…200+ years. However, this is really in the realm of science fiction.

The position of Xtend-Life is that it is possible to live to the projected maximum human life span of 120 years. To achieve this, your life has to be well balanced! In other words, your lifestyle, your diet, the amount of exercise you do, the environment you live in and your nutrient intake have to be as close as possible to optimal.

To learn more about how aging occurs and ways to slow down your biological clock, visit Xtend-Life’s Overview of Anti-Aging research page today.
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